MUSASHI BOON SIEWHONDA RACING MALAYSIA ANNOUNCES ALL-OUT ASSAULT ON MAJOR ASIAN MOTORSPORTSTITLES

Boon Siew Honda Sdn Bhd has announced an all-out assault onmajor Asian motorcycle racing titles in the 2012 season with its re-brandedteam that is now called team Musashi Boon Siew Honda Racing Malaysia (formerlyknown as team Boon Siew Honda Racing Malaysia). This announcement was made in apress conference held in Kuala Lumpur recently in conjunction with thepre-season test of the PETRONAS Asia Road Racing Championship.

The team unveiled a four-man line-up that will take part inthe 2012 PETRONAS Asia Road Racing Championship with Malaysian riders AzlanShah Kamaruzaman, Md Emir Firdaus Hasan and Md Zaqhwan Zaidi to be joined by arider of impeccable credentials, Ryuichi Kiyonari. The 30-year-old Kiyonari hasthree British Superbike (BSB) titles to his name and is widely recognized inEurope as a record-holder and legend in his own right. Apart from hisachievements in the BSB, Kiyonari has also made forays into the MotoGP and theWorld Superbike Championship.

In addition to the pursuit for the SuperSports 600cc title,Boon Siew Honda Sdn Bhd will also be sending its Malaysian trio for the 2012Suzuka Endurance Road Race where Azlan will  participate the 8-houredition while  Emir and Zaqhwan will be defending theteam’s honours in the Suzuka 4-hour Endurance. Aside from these, the riderswill also be sent for selected rounds of the All Japan Championship for furtherexposure.

Boon Siew Honda Motorsports Director Tan Hui Jing stressedthat, “The SuperSports 600cc title in the PETRONAS Asia Road RacingChampionship and scoring a double win in the prestigious Suzuka 8-hour and4-hour Endurances races will be our main targets. Both are important titles towin - Suzuka which is the most prestigious endurance road race in the worldwhile at the same time, the PETRONAS Asia Road Racing Championship has evolvedand grown into one that is highly relevant and very effective as a trainingground for future Asian world riders.”

“The team has a very strong formation this year and we areconfident of achieving an ‘all-kill’ in the championships that we are participatingin. We are proud to welcome a rider of Ryuichi Kiyonari’s stature into theteam. He has held Europe in the palm of his hands for many years and now as hesets his sights on conquering Asia, we hope that our team’s riders will takethe opportunity to learn as much as they can from this world-class rider,”added Tan.

Further, Boon Siew Honda Sdn Bhd also announced theparticipation of their Cub Prix riders S. Sasitharen and Md Fitri Ashraf Razaliin the upcoming Asia Dream Cup which will run simultaneously with the PETRONASAsia Road Racing Championship.

“2011 was a great year for us - with Azlan and Emir winningthe Suzuka 4-hours Endurance, followed by Azlan’s 2nd overall position in theAsia Road Racing Championship, and capped off by our first title win in theCP130 class of the PETRONAS AAM Malaysian Cub Prix Championship delivered byNorizman Ismail and team Harian Metro TEQ SCK Honda Racing. But we see that asjust the beginning of a journey that we hope will eventually lead to the creationof world-class Malaysian riders. Towards that end, with motorcycle parts makerMusashi Seimitsu Industry Co. now on-board as our team sponsor for 2012, we arestepping up our efforts in all areas of the sport,” Tan concluded.